Enspire's Leadership Team

Enspire is led by a dynamic team of creative professionals with backgrounds in education, technology, production, and business. Our leaders are committed to maintaining a company culture that empowers our team to provide innovation and value to our customers and to use effective content and technology to change the way people learn.

Bjorn Billhardt
Founder and CEO

Bjorn is a recognized authority in the field of e-learning and simulation design and has been a speaker at conferences such as Training, ASTD, and ISPI. Bjorn previously worked as a consultant and corporate trainer for BAAN, a Dutch software company, and conducted training classes in Europe and the US. Bjorn also worked for McKinsey & Company, a strategic management consulting firm. A native of Hamburg, Germany, he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a dual BA/BBA from the University of Texas, where he is an alumnus of the Plan II and the Business Honors Program.

Shon Bayer
Executive Vice President

Shon joined Enspire in 2003, after a 10 year career at The Princeton Review. At the Princeton Review, Shon held various senior roles, including Director of Marketing, Master Trainer, and Executive Director. Since joining Enspire, Shon has helped create simulations such as Executive Challenge, built Enspire's sales and marketing capabilities, and led Enspire's product development efforts. Shon has spoken on simulation development at conferences such as ASTD Techknowledge, Training, and the Serious Games Summit. In his spare time, Shon is an active traveler, enjoys photography, and is an avid cook. Shon has a BS in Materials Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Nathan Kracklauer
Executive Vice President, EMEA

Nathan manages the operations of Enspire's European branch in Berlin, Germany. One of Enspire's first employees, Nathan has contributed thought leadership and business management since 2002. As VP of Product Development he managed the design and development of Enspire's business simulations and online curricula. As the first Director of Content Development, he established Enspire's approach to instructional and simulation design. He has led game design and instructional design workshops at leading industry conferences on both sides of the Atlantic. Nathan is also an avid musician and has performed on stages around the world, including at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. Nathan holds a BS in Mathematics and BA degrees in Philosophy and Liberal Arts Honors from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ed Garner
Vice President of Custom Solutions

Since beginning his career in the US Army as an M-1A1 tank platoon leader, Ed has devoted the last 12 years to educational technologies. He is experienced with Java and .NET development, as well as C++ and embedded systems development. Ed also has experience with Shockwave and Flash browser-delivered interactivity, and he has technical expertise in both PC and Macintosh OS X environments. As a lead programmer at Fusion Learning Systems, Ed developed "Redbeard's Pirate Quest," which was named Newsweek Magazine's "it" toy for Christmas 1999. Ed also led the Fusion engineering team, a position in which he helped build a full content management database and automated website build system. Ed joined Enspire in 2008, where he now uses his technical and managerial abilities to provide effective custom learning solutions for our clients. Ed received his BA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Brandon Hudgeons
Vice President of Technology Development

Brandon leads Enspire's software development and information technology efforts. His background combines a unique blend of business, technology, and legal experience. In 2001, Brandon founded Internal Machine Industries, Inc. where he also served as President and CEO. He has also worked for Motive, Inc. as a product manager. As an attorney, Brandon represented high-tech and emerging-growth companies. Brandon has an AB in Computer Science and English Literature from Dartmouth College. He also has an MSCEE, an MBA, and a JD from the University of Texas at Austin.

Sammi Frye
Executive Producer

Sammi has more than 20 years of project management experience in the educational software arena. She brings that knowledge to bear as the Executive Producer in charge of Enspire?s production management team. Whether it?s mentoring producers on the team or guiding her own projects through our development process, she manages people and multiple projects seamlessly. She has steered exceptionally complex and lengthy projects with Enspire, including award-winning efforts with clients such as Pitney Bowes, American Heart Association, Cisco, and SAP. Sammi consistently exceeds client expectations and delivers projects on-time and on-budget. Sammi earned her BA in Communications and her MA in Education in Instructional Design at the University of Texas at Austin.

Enspire's Leadership Team

Bjorn BillhardtFounder and CEO

Shon BayerExecutive Vice President

Nathan KracklauerExecutive Vice President, EMEA

Ed GarnerVice President of Custom Solutions